'Seconds' song lyrics from U2's War Album

"Seconds," from U2's War album, takes a sharp detour from the band’s more anthemic sound, delivering a chilling meditation on the nuclear anxiety that gripped the world during the early 1980s. 

The song's sparse, propulsive rhythm and fragmented, almost staccato guitar riff drive home a sense of urgency, as Bono’s lyrics explore the terrifying reality of global instability. 

What makes "Seconds" so gripping is how it weaves the personal and political together, casting the nuclear arms race not as a distant geopolitical conflict but as a deeply human concern. Bono's repeated line "it takes a second to say goodbye" is stark in its simplicity, underscoring the fragile line between life and annihilation, a fate that could be sealed in a moment of carelessness or madness.

Musically, "Seconds" is one of U2's boldest early experiments, not least because The Edge steps forward with a rare lead vocal on the verses, while Bono punctuates the chorus. This duality adds to the song’s uneasy, fractured atmosphere—almost as if the band is portraying the split-second decision-making that could lead to global catastrophe. 

The song is laced with a tension that never quite resolves, a perfect reflection of the Cold War fears that loomed over the era. The recurring samples of military drills and TV reports layered throughout the track serve as a grim reminder of how close the world seemed to a breaking point. There’s an almost documentary-like quality to the song, capturing the creeping paranoia of the time, while also showcasing U2's growing ability to channel political fear into something artistically profound.

'Seconds' song lyrics from U2's War Album

It takes a second to say goodbye
Say goodbye
It takes a second to say goodbye
Say goodbye
Say bye bye
Where you going to now

Lightning flashes across the sky
East to west, do or die
Like a thief in the night
See the world by candlelight

Fall, rise and fall, rise and

In an apartment on Times Square
You can assemble them anywhere
Held to ransom, held to pay
A revolution every day
U.S.S.R., D.D.R.
London, New York, Peking
It's the puppets,
It's the puppets pulling the strings

Fall, rise and fall, rise and

Say goodbye, say goodbye
Say goodbye, say goodbye
Say goodbye

I wanna be an Airborne Ranger
I wanna be an Airborne Ranger
I wanna live the life of danger
I wanna live the life of danger

It takes a second to say goodbye
Say goodbye
Push the button and pull the plug
Say goodbye

Fall, rise and fall, rise and
This is the rise and fall
The rise and fall

And they're doing the atomic bomb
Do they know where the dance comes from
Yes, they're doing the atomic bomb
They want you to sing along

Say goodbye, say goodbye
Say goodbye, say goodbye

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In retrospect, "Seconds" was one of U2's first real engagements with global issues on a broader scale, a precursor to the grander political statements that would define their later work. 

Where “Sunday Bloody Sunday” focused on local Derry Massacre tragedy, “Seconds” zeroed in on the terrifying possibility of global destruction, making the song a key moment in U2's evolution as a band that wasn't just singing about Irish identity or personal struggle, but confronting the broader, existential crises of the era. 

It connected deeply with fans who were themselves living in the shadow of nuclear dread, and it signaled U2’s readiness to expand their message beyond the borders of their homeland, using their music to engage with the pressing issues that threatened humanity itself.

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